Customer Reviews

The Sandlot

5 star:		(182)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There really is no plot, yet you don't care. There's no real subtext to the entire thing, but that doesn't matter. The actors are all kids and they play baseball...and it's SO SIMPLE.

One of those little films that walked quietly into theaters in 1993 and left just as quietly with little fanfare(which is probably why Fox was hesitant on releasing a DVD) not ONLY happens to be one of the greatest SLEEPERS of all-time, it's also one of the greatest SPORTS films of all-time, ranking with "Field of Dreams", "Bull Durham", "Major League", "The Natural", and "The Longest Yard", to name a few.

This movie is good, so sweetly and innocently GOOD, that you don't care if the obnoxious happens or that a main plot-point happens to be the kids retrieving a prize/signed baseball(by Babe Ruth of all players) from the jaws of a dog-beast-monster-thing.

No, if there was something that James Earl Jones was right about in FIELD OF DREAMS(and he's in here too as a modern-day Boo Radley), it was that baseball brings us back to the times when we were young and apathetic to the world around us. The same applies here.

This film will make you forget about your problems and redirect your focus on your youth and the times you had fun with your best friends.

No matter if those times were spent on a surburban street where the foul poles were really parallel phone poles on either sides of the street or you sat on the porch watching us while drinking lemonade and listening to Ray Charles, those are the good times we remember...

Take a look for yourself...

The DVD has a beautiful 2:35.1 widescreen transfer(it was originally shot in 70mm Panavision) but is lacking in extras. Still, a good cheap DVD with a great film...that's all we ask for sometimes.

-- Matt

Back in 1993, two movies involving baseball and children, The Sandlot and Rookie of the Year, came out in the theaters about the same time, both being released by Twentieth Century Fox. I remember Rookie of the Year was pushed hard by the studio while The Sandlot got much less advertising and publicity, which was too bad because I always thought The Sandlot was a much better film.

Scotty Smalls, his mother (Karen Allen), and his step dad (Dennis Leary) just moved into the neighborhood and Scotty is having problems acclimating himself to his social surroundings. An intelligent boy (an egghead), he lacks certain abilities most boys have, like knowing how to catch and throw a ball, any basic baseball rules, or who's the Great Bambino. The movie does an excellent job in providing just enough depth into these characters to provide a sense of the family dynamic given that Allen and Leary have limited screen time. In attempting to join a neighborhood pick up game, Scotty's lack of rudimentary baseball skills is made painfully apparent, to which all the boys except Bennie, the best player of the bunch, let their derisive comments fly. Bennie, feeling a bit sorry for the new kid, gives Scotty a couple of tips and a little extra help in a well hit fly ball that gives Scotty a measure of confidence and helps bring him into the gang. Once Scotty's accepted into the group the movie delves into a plot involving a priceless baseball and a local dog with a mythical reputation. What I really liked was how all the boys came together to help a friend in need, and it was an automatic response. If someone in the circle needs help, the group rallies around, regardless, as they would have done the same for any other member. While a seemingly natural trait in children (atleast in this movie), it seems to be one that becomes lost as we grow older, as seen in Scotty's step dad and his reluctance to play catch with Scotty because he has too much work and doesn't have the time. What is so great about this movie is while it's set in the 50's, the story appeals to most anyone. Whether or not we all had that one great summer or just fond remembrances of childhood friends and activities in general, the movie serves to help recall days when things were simple, and summers were made up of endless possibilities. While watching this movie, I thought about friends I had when I was a kid, phrases we used, nicknames, activities, etc.

No real extras on this disc, but a great presentation of a wonderful movie. My favorite part involved one of the boys called Squints, a smaller boy with great, big glasses, and scene with curvaceous, older, female lifeguard at the local pool.

I first saw The Sandlot when I was eight years old, and have found myself watching it every year since.

The Sandlot is a film about a kid named Scotty Smalls, who moves to a new town and tries to make friends before school starts.
He walks across a small suburban baseball field where eight kids his age play daily, and he turns up one day, plays terribly and ends up joining the gang anyway.

Soon, the team find themselves in trouble after 'Smalls', as he is affectionately nicknamed, hits a Babe Ruth signed baseball into the yard of an almighty dog, who as rumor has it once ate a kid in the area.

The gang tries all sorts of methods to get the ball back, and this results in an extremely funny and enjoyable film.
The Sandlot is a great watch, and you will find the whole family stuck infront of the TV for this one.

This is absolutely a great movie. But I cannot be the only parent who was horrified to find I was showing my three boys a movie that is filled with cuss words. Maybe you are ok with a "family feature" in which s--t is used half a dozen times. But not everyone is, and parents need to be aware that this movie goes beyond the d--n and son of a b---- norm for PG. If a "edited for tv" version of this existed I'd recommend it to anyone. But can you imagine how many grandparents pick up this "family classic" for their little grandsons, having no idea that their little boys are about to sit through six or eight "s--t"s and almost as many "son of a b----"s? I'm not a prude when it comes to adults' movies. And if parents are fine with their kids hearing these words in a movie, fine. But for anyone who is concerned about this, it is amazing how rarely you'll find any kind of notice attached to this movie. Parents, and grandparents, ought to be able to make an informed decision.

This movie is a RIOT! I am 36 years old and have been watching this movie with my kids for YEARS! I rarely watch any movie even twice, but I absolutely LOVE this one and so do my kids. It is a true Classic. We just bought a new DVD player and immediately and unanamously decided our first movie would be Sandlot. (To our disappointment it isnt on DVD yet). Dont rent it, BUY it! It totally reminded me of being a kid in the 60's/early 70's, especially since it took place in the San Fernando Valley. The director did a truly superb job in getting the awesome acting job out of these kids. It's not over acted - they all seem so believable, maybe thats why its so great. Squints is hysterical! p.s. If you like this type of movie and want to see something similar about a bunch of 12 yr old girls and their adventures in the same time period (60's). Check out "Now and Then" it's also pretty funny, geared more towards girls, but my boys enjoyed it too.

This movie is pure briliance. The Sandlot captures childhood moments and friendship between young boys perfectly. The plot is as follows. Scotty Smalls is the new kid in town without any friends. He eventually meets and becomes best friends with Benjamin franklin rodriguez, who is the leader of a group of boys that play baseball everyday at The Sandlot. The group of boys are great characters ranging from an over-weight kid that makes some very funny jokes and a nerd that lusts after the most beautiful girl in town. During the summer they have many adventures together but the main adventure is getting back a baseball signed by the great bambino himself from a huge and mean yard dog known as " THE BEAST " I don't want to rammble anymore. The bottom line is that The Sandlot is a wonderful movie which you can watch over and over and never get bored. I can not recommend this movie enough. Please buy this movie now and experience how great it is for yourself.

This review was written by Ricky F

Scotty Smalls moves to Los Angeles in the early 60's just two weeks before the 5th grade school year ends, which isn't enough time to make friends before summer vacation. He's still getting used to his new step-father and doesn't know how to catch or throw a baseball, and to make matters worse doesn't even know who the "Great Bambino" is. Some of the neighborhood kids gather every day at "the sandlot," their own personal baseball kingdom, and he tries to casually join them. But it isn't until Bennie Rodriguez, the best and most ardent player of them all, asks him to join and gives him the confidence he needs to learn to play. It makes for the best summer of his life and lifelong friendships, especially when he unknowingly uses a baseball signed by Babe Ruth, and hits it over the fence into the yard of "The Beast," a huge baseball-eating dog.

This is one of those classic baseball-worship movies on a par with "Field of Dreams" and other favorites. Plus, it's a great family movie with few profanities - it's funny and the things the kids do and say resonate with everyone whether or not you grew up playing another sport or in another time period. My kids love to watch it regularly, and I'm impressed with how good some of the children actors are (James Earl Jones also has a bit part at the end). I especially like the scene where they play baseball against the "rich kids" on their real baseball field (mostly because it's the field where I played Little-League as a kid - which wasn't on the "rich" side of town and it's not really LA!), but my kids like the pool scene.

This movie is a classic, and I don't think that anyone would disagree with that. There is no movie that could have the sweetness that this movie has. This movie has a ton of comedy, I laughed the whole time, this movie has a little mystery, and a good message of friendship. I've seen this movie so many times, my tape is actually down to nothing now, that's why I have the dvd now, and of course dvd is always better. I promise you this when you purchase this movie you will have made a very wise decision indeed!

I love THE SANDLOT. It's one of my favorites from the early '90s and definitely one of the best movies about Baseball. THE SANDLOT takes place in the '60s and it's about a kid, Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry), who moves to a new neighborhood and doesn't know anybody - and all at the same time, trying to get used to his new stepfather. He's not really good at sports, but his stepfather is trying to teach him how to play Baseball even though he is very busy. Scotty soon comes across a group of kids who love the game of Baseball and are really good, while playing fo the love of it and are not on a real team. They play Baseball at this deserted Sandlot every day during the summer. Scotty finally gets the courage to ask if he can join in. The kids are first hesitant when they see how bad he is at Baseball, but one of the kids, Benny (Mike Vitar), lets him play and Scotty soon learns how to play Baseball and starts to play better. They all become friends: Winning a Baseball game against the best team in their town's Little League, chewing Tobbacco while riding on a roller coaster to celebrate their victory until they throw up, and girls. They also learn that the huge St. Bernard who lives in the house behind the Sandlot may not be a monster after all, when Scotty accidentally hits their only ball into the yard of the St. Bernard. It's another really great family movie and one I recommend to everybody. Definitely not to be missed.

Anyone who grew up in the 90s still remembers where they were and how old they were when they first saw this classic... I was about 8 or 9, in 3rd grade... how I remember laughing so hard at all the classic scenes, the tobacco-barfing, the attempt-to-kiss-the-lifeguard,, and the whole concept of "The Beast"... yes sir,, it was classic....(although it took me a couple of years to get the "they had 9 kids" joke....) and now here I am, 20, and I still could never get sick of this film- It's really funny and it brings out the great messege that no matter how big you get, part of you will always remain a kid... ahh yes,, we all remember those days where we could just play ball all day without a care in the world...

Whether you love or hate baseball, this is a funny and heartwarming movie that will always remain a classic gem of the early 90s